Disclaimer, I am a dr and not wanting to apologize for attending medical school  :).

I personally think putting it all on formula company advertising and detailing makes everything too pat and neat.

How physicians recieve and absorb information has a lot to do with how they are socialized in medical school, residency and beyond.

I used to think it was only a gender based thing until I started encountering more female physicians that had the same approach to information absorption as the male counterparts.  Blew my women physicians are more sensitive to men physicians mantra right out of the water.

At least in the USA everything is on the run.  Eat on the run, round on the run see patients on the run.
Us docs in the USA seem to see patients in some increment of seven minutes each (except those lucky ones who have boutique practices that are able to see less than 5-6 patients an hour).  Also in my community everyone is so "busy" that attending continuing medical education isn't exactly high on the priority list (y'all in the really big cities may not experience this).  Beliefs that are tightly held (such as formula is the same as breastfeeding) stay tightly held unless constant bribery is done (we're talking more than just a few donuts, pens and post it notes and cute posters).

For me I forget trying to give a colleague an article- besides it just makes a great coaster for that coffee that only gets a few sips out of the day.  I don't even bring up breastfeeding in the doctors lounge - that would spoil the latest discussion on world problems and watching FOX news or CNN or stock reports.

I take the same tact as the big companies, I go direct to consumer.  Really inform those parents, make sure they have those good Internet sites on breastfeeding down, show reluctant moms how to assert themselves with their other providers.  I then tell them how to teach their friends and other family members how to do it.

Nothin' like having an assertive mom MAKE sure her doctor gets it.  I've given up on "teaching docs" (at least in my community).  I put my energy into teaching the parents how to inform their provider.

Just imagine the possibilities.  If a recalcitrant doc had at least one patient an hour showing their assertiveness about breastfeeding (or anything else for that matter), just the repetition alone should get their attention.

Education by stealth is my approach,

Pierrette Mimi Poinsett MD
Modesto CA

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